The Queue: Traveling through time and space to meet you here

Yes, dear Quevians, it is Tuesday. I know this is off our usual schedule, but since Tuesday and Thursday both start with the letter T it made logical sense for me to be here. Totally logical.

Now let’s get to the day’s questions.

It’s honestly hard to get a bad seat for the opening ceremony (depending on how you define “bad”). There are huge screens throughout the convention hall and the opening ceremony is typically being streamed to every single one of them. While it will be exceptionally tough to get in the first few rows of seats, there’s nowhere you won’t be able to see. Honestly, I have spent the past several BlizzCons mostly listening to the opening ceremony while I explore the convention floor. It’s uncrowded, you can hear the opening ceremony from anywhere and see it from almost anywhere, and you can be the first person to see whatever they’re hiding in the art gallery (usually they have something they only reveal after the ceremony’s over). Last year I watched the Legion opening cinematic while walking through the crowd to take pictures. I hadn’t actually intended to stop, but, dang, how could you not give that your full attention?

The opening ceremony starts at 11AM and doors open around 9AM… if you want a front of the hall seat I’d be there at least an hour before doors open — and be sure you get your badge on Thursday so you’re ready to go — and my guess is that isn’t nearly early enough to get a front row seat. My philosophy: there are tons of seats you can see from almost anywhere (you may not be able to see the stage, but you’ll see a screen), so don’t stress too much.

As to meetups, I can’t speak for the Queue but Blizzard Watch isn’t doing anything official this year, though some of us will be at Con Before the Storm. Back at The Site That Shall Not Be named we used to throw big parties every year… but to be honest I am a mega introvert and always found the crowds, the noise, and strangers trying to talk to me intensely stressful. (Especially when, hello, I am talking with my friend about Diablo and someone feels the need to barge in and express doubt about our character levels.)

That’s not to say we won’t hold a meetup at a future BlizzCon, but it’s just not high on our priority list, I’m afraid… and when the Site That Shall Not Be Named meetup faded out of existence, other parties rose up to take its place. No one will lack for entertainment on Thursday, but Team Blizzard Watch isn’t officially anywhere.

I know Mythriak wasn’t the only one to ask this question, but it was the first variation I saw, so apologies to other questioners. The most important part of BlizzCon is probably the opening ceremonies, where Blizzard will be announcing any big news this year. That will be livestreamed for everyone; just head over to the BlizzCon website to see it.

Beyond that, the esports events will be streamed and you can expect trailers to be posted online immediately. And, of course, you can stay tuned to Blizzard Watch: we’ll be writing up the big panels live. It’s not quite “watching,” but you’ll still get the info you’re after.

I’m pretty sure that Azshara is on Azshara’s side and no one else’s. If it benefits her to ally with one side or the other, that’s where she’ll be… and as soon as that changes, she’ll probably be somewhere else.

Xavius, too, has unclear loyalties, though I don’t personally have any theories there.

Note: I’m just an armchair lore nerd. If you want a proper answer, you’ll want to ask an actual lore nerd: Rossi is answering the Queue tomorrow. In the meanwhile, Anne wrote a great KYL about Azshara, which also touches briefly on Xavius’ curious motives.

I’m pretty excited that Old Karazhan and new Karazhan will continue to co-exist. While I’ve enjoyed Blizzard’s revamps of the world, I also always, inevitably, miss the old versions… and there’s nowhere in the game that I have as many fond memories as Karazhan, which I raided at the time with a group of friends. The whole place is a nostalgia bomb. (Not to mention the fact that I still have pets to collect there. And that mount…)

As others have pointed out, the old raid and the new dungeon have entirely different entrances. Karazhan Classic has an entrance at the base of the tower, as always, and the new Mythic dungeon has an entrance on a bridge about half-way up the side of the tower.

I have to vote for the Old Gods here. I just think back to raiding Ahn’Qiraj and…

Your friends will abandon you.

…uh, right, C’Thun whispering at you…

Your courage will fail.

…which shook me up every time…

You are already dead.

Uhm, you know what? Let’s call it a day. I’m going to go hide under my desk and watch adorable cat videos for the rest of the day.